The Cadillac ATS is Cadillac’s newest entry into the mid-size sport
sedan category, currently occupied by long time mid-size heavy hitters like the
BMW 3 series and the Mercedes C class. Cadillac’s objective with the ATS is to
compete primarily with the top seller of the mid-size sport sedan class, the
BMW 3 series. The ATS 2.0T is Cadillac’s answer to BMW’s all-new 2.0L turbocharged
inline-four powered 328i sedan, but can it dethrone the entry-luxury sales
champ?
Having never driven any Cadillac products other than a current
generation CTS back in 2008, we were not sure what to expect. Cadillac's repuation
for being built for the geriatric crowd loomed in the back of our minds. Our test
drive of the 3.6 liter CTS back in 2008 did not help break the stereotype with
its dull feeling, mushy handling, and overall dry and boring demeanor. Sure,
the car looked pretty nice from the outside (we are suckers for the Art and
Science design philosophy), but if that is all Cadillac has to offer, they were
going to struggle to meet their goals. With the ATS, Cadillac wants to bring in
a new demographic to their show rooms: the young professional. Can it draw in a
younger crowd and help make Cadillac truly competitive in one of the most
crowded classes in the automotive world?
The Good:
At first glance, the ATS is a very handsome car. Cadillac’s “Art and
Science” design theme has created bold and aggressive looking cars with sharp
creases and well flowing curves in what I feel is all the right spots. From a
distance, the car looks, well-proportioned, very upscale, and very composed.
Upon opening the door for the first time, the interior gives the
appearance of being well-appointed and the lighting is very warm and inviting.
The seats are fairly comfortable and the leather feels of a very good quality.
The doors, when closed, emit a substantial “thud,” which seems to be expected
of luxury vehicles in this day and age. The new “CUE” system is simple enough
to operate and the capacitive buttons work well. When we sat in the back, the
leg room was pleasantly adequate.
Driving the car was more or less effortless. Despite being a small 2.0
liter turbo engine, there was good midrange punch once the turbo had fully
spooled. Turbo lag was fairly minimal and the car accelerated smoothly, in part
thanks to the automatic transmission’s smooth upshifts. Steering felt very
precise and the thick rimmed steering wheel felt good in our hands, but we were
not really driving fast enough to determine if the suspension was up to the
task of serious handling. As a cruiser though, the Cadillac rode very smoothly
and soaked up bumps reasonably well in most conditions, it is definitely
slanted towards the sporty side of the equation.
The Bad:
Of course, first impressions can be deceiving. Upon sitting in the
back, first thing that caught our eye was how incredibly cheap the hard
plastics looked and felt. This is supposed to be a relatively luxurious vehicle
priced starting in the mid-$30k range. The least Cadaillc could have done was make
everything look the part, if not feel it. And while the exterior looks great at
a distance, examine it up close and the silver trim on the door handles and
window surrounds looks hopelessly cheap and gaudy.
On the info-tainment front, the new CUE system looks quite stunning
with its high-resolution graphics and slick animations, but we can understand
the frustration from some of the other reviews we have read. For example, after
touching an icon on the screen, there is a short delay, much like when using an
Apple or Android powered tablet. This is different from the instant response of
pushing a button that we accustomed to in our cars, and in our “instant
gratification” society, this can be frustrating having to tap multiple icons
and scrolling through various menus just to access the radio. We did not get a
chance to test our the voice commands, but it is probably safe to say that,
like our experience with other voice-controlled info-tainment systems, this is
not a suitable replacement for ease of use.
The center stack itself looks nice, but can be somewhat confusing.
There are no buttons to press, just capacitive touch points that control the
HVAC system, radio volume, and all other systems that we are used to using
buttons and dials for. Under these touch points are silver trim. At first
glance, the natural reaction is to push on the silver trim, hoping that
something happens, but when nothing does, it can get a little irritating.Once
you find the right place to touch, there is still a slight delay before the
system responds, likely in an effort to avoid having an accidental brush
against center console trigger an unexpected reaction. Additionally, while
there is haptic feedback, it can be difficult to locate the functions without
taking your eyes off the road, making one question whether or not this type of
system is really suitable for use in cars in the first place, where driving
should be the main focus.
NVH attenuation was decent, but whatever sound deadening GM included in
this car was incapable of drowning out the somewhat rough agricultural noises
coming from the engine. At cruising speeds, even on city streets, the engine note
is not a pleasant one and the intake and exhaust noises are not loud enough to
cover it up.
Steering, while precise and well weighted, was very numb. Steering the
car, one never quite gets the sense that you know what the wheels are doing,
though it is a big improvement over the 3-series that we tested on the same day.
However, the lack of steering feel just does not inspire the confidence one
needs to push the car hard into corners, though to be fair, the car we tested
was fairly stripped down and was not fitted with the adjustable suspension
option, which is likely to have a pretty big impact on how well this car rides
and steers.
Speaking of the suspension, it was surprisingly stiff for a Cadillac.
While this may be good news to some, we would suggest driving it over some
uneven pavement before coming to the conclusion this is good news. As we drove
over a patch of horribly maintained road, the car just failed to soak up bumps and
several sharp impacts were sent through the cabin. If great steering and a
plush ride cannot be attained through the same suspension design, then it is
best to pick one and stick to it rather than compromising both qualities. We
cannot help but wonder how things would be improved with the adjustable
suspension.
While the transmission upshifts very smoothly, we could not help but
feel the downshifts needed some improvement. Each downshifts would seem to unsettle
the car cause it to jerk a bit, with a fairly heavy lurch felt when we slowed
from about 40 mph to 15 mph to approach a right hand turn. A little
rev-matching in the transmission algorithm might help correct this situation.
Summary
The potential for the ATS to be a major player in the mid-sized sport
sedan category is there. There are some kinks that need to be worked out, but
since the ATS has only been on sale for a few months, there is still time to
improve. Right out of the gate, we would say the ATS is still not quite ready
to take on the BMW 3-series as the reigning sport sedan champ. However, if GM
continues to develop and refine the Cadillac ATS, in a few years, it has a very
good chance to truly contend with the BMW 3-series, especially considering the
direction that BMW seems to be going with each new 3-series.
Would we buy one? Probably not at this time, or at least not just yet. That
is not to say that Cadillac’s marketing campaign to draw in younger buyers has
failed. We can see a lot of great qualities in the car itself and with a little
polishing, Cadillac can make this into a great car. If there is one thing we can
safely say, it is that Cadillac’s normal customer base will not be interested
in this car as the suspension is pretty stiff and the cabin is louder than
Cadillacs of yore.
No comments :
Post a Comment